They are now all glued up. The next step will be to re-configure the rib jig for the tip ribs.
Monday, January 7, 2013
At Work
Here I am working on the last two "regular" ribs.
Don't you just love the stacks of ribs?
They are now all glued up. The next step will be to re-configure the rib jig for the tip ribs.
They are now all glued up. The next step will be to re-configure the rib jig for the tip ribs.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Premature Celebration
I completed the rib inventory...and came up two short. It seems I skipped the 7A rib, one for each wing. So I have another rib cooking in the jig, and another one to go. I am glad I did the inventory before I started modifying the rib jig to do the tip ribs.
Not a lost day though...
Taken from a friend's Cub. Anyone wonder why I love to fly in the Pacific Northwest.
Not a lost day though...
Monday, December 31, 2012
Just a bit more Rib work
The last regular rib is setting up on the jig. Starting work on the tip ribs.
Upper left hand corner is the nose blocks for the tip ribs. Directly below that are the end blocks for the tip ribs. On the right side is a leading edge rib that goes between the last full size, regular, rib and the tip rib. The darker plywood is the patterns for the parts.
I always make patterns. It serves to make sure the finished parts are all identical, and I work out production methods while doing the patterns.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
I always make patterns. It serves to make sure the finished parts are all identical, and I work out production methods while doing the patterns.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Mile Post -- Almost
What makes these two ribs special is that they are the last two "regular" ribs!! :) Once these are complete the jig needs to be re-configured to fabricate the two "tip" ribs. And ribs will be done.
It will be time to schedule the "varnishing" party. All of the ribs need to be given a coat of high quality spar varnish. My EAA technical adviser has requested an invitation to the varnishing event. Coming soon.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Gussets
I managed some unexpected shop time this morning. What with the situation with my Dad and all the social events surrounding the holidays shop time is somewhat limited. I am not complaining. I enjoy this time of year.
I determined that I didn't have enough of the standard gussets to complete the eight ribs I have yet to build. So, after finishing up a couple of ribs in the jig, I devoted some time to cutting more gussets.
The process is simple in the extreme:
First cut 1" wide strips. The Ryobi table saw works very well for this kind of thing. Eight 1" strips rendered about 240 gussets.
And then cut the strips into 2" gussets. It actually takes two hands, but I had to hold the camera in the other hand. I cut two strips at a time. I tried four, but found it too difficult to control.
In order to get this done I had to do some minor reconfiguration of the workspace. Just one of the disadvantages of a small shop is that the space has to be set up for each different operation. In this case it just required moving the stack of ribs from the Ryobi table saw over to the Rockwell, which normally serves as the "desk" on which I keep the plans.
This is what the ribs look like so far in one big stack:
There will be twelve more ribs added to this stack before the job of fabricating ribs is all done. There are eight more of the standard ribs to be built, with two still on the jig, and two tip ribs.
Some more thinking...there is a marked difference between how the English identify themselves, and how we, especially males, here in the USA identify ourselves. In Great Britain, it is all about "who you are". Who were your parents, what schools you went to, etc. In the US, we identify with what we do. When two people, especially guys, meet, the first question is usually, "What do you do?". Meaning, what do you do for a living?
Not long ago I would have answered that question with, "My company provides management and engineering to water utilities". That was not only what I did for a living, building that company was my primary "doing" thing.
Having turned over day-to-day affairs of that company to somebody else (I am still a shareholder and board member) I am now the general manager of a water district. I take that job very seriously and work at it in a diligent and professional manner. But it is not the primary focus of what I do.
Today, if you ask me what I do, I will tell you that I am building an airplane.
I determined that I didn't have enough of the standard gussets to complete the eight ribs I have yet to build. So, after finishing up a couple of ribs in the jig, I devoted some time to cutting more gussets.
The process is simple in the extreme:
In order to get this done I had to do some minor reconfiguration of the workspace. Just one of the disadvantages of a small shop is that the space has to be set up for each different operation. In this case it just required moving the stack of ribs from the Ryobi table saw over to the Rockwell, which normally serves as the "desk" on which I keep the plans.
This is what the ribs look like so far in one big stack:
Some more thinking...there is a marked difference between how the English identify themselves, and how we, especially males, here in the USA identify ourselves. In Great Britain, it is all about "who you are". Who were your parents, what schools you went to, etc. In the US, we identify with what we do. When two people, especially guys, meet, the first question is usually, "What do you do?". Meaning, what do you do for a living?
Not long ago I would have answered that question with, "My company provides management and engineering to water utilities". That was not only what I did for a living, building that company was my primary "doing" thing.
Having turned over day-to-day affairs of that company to somebody else (I am still a shareholder and board member) I am now the general manager of a water district. I take that job very seriously and work at it in a diligent and professional manner. But it is not the primary focus of what I do.
Today, if you ask me what I do, I will tell you that I am building an airplane.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
More "Rag and Tube"
The friend of mine who expressed some lack of understanding of how a steel tube fuselage worked still had some trouble figuring it out from the photo of Mike Finney's airplane. So I am going to try again.
This photo is of another Wag-a-Bond Traveler, this one being built by Gil Devault. Gil is another "internet acquaintance" whose advice has been invaluable to me.
You can see that the basic fuselage shape is formed by a frame of welded steel tubes. Pretty basic. The frame is covered by dacron fabric, not unlike the balsa and tissue models most of us built as kids.
You no longer see this construction as often in factory produced aircraft (exceptions = cub-a-likes such as the CubCrafters, and other aircraft built to be light and strong such as the Aviat Husky, Maule and some others) because the construction requires a lot of highly skilled labor. Aluminum monocoque construction is much more common as it is better suited to assembly line methods.
But if you want a strong, yet light, airplane, rag and tube is the way to go. That is why bush pilots like rag and tube.
For us homebuilders, rag and tube is almost always a plans-built, rather than a kit, undertaking. Even the few kits out there are not much more than a set of plans and bundle of 4130 steel tubes.For those who want a cruiser, the all-aluminum kits are a good choice. They are typically faster airplanes of more modern design and faster and easier to build. But for those of us who want a "low and slow" short, rough field airplane, the extra time to build rag and tube is worth it.
This photo is of another Wag-a-Bond Traveler, this one being built by Gil Devault. Gil is another "internet acquaintance" whose advice has been invaluable to me.
You no longer see this construction as often in factory produced aircraft (exceptions = cub-a-likes such as the CubCrafters, and other aircraft built to be light and strong such as the Aviat Husky, Maule and some others) because the construction requires a lot of highly skilled labor. Aluminum monocoque construction is much more common as it is better suited to assembly line methods.
But if you want a strong, yet light, airplane, rag and tube is the way to go. That is why bush pilots like rag and tube.
For us homebuilders, rag and tube is almost always a plans-built, rather than a kit, undertaking. Even the few kits out there are not much more than a set of plans and bundle of 4130 steel tubes.For those who want a cruiser, the all-aluminum kits are a good choice. They are typically faster airplanes of more modern design and faster and easier to build. But for those of us who want a "low and slow" short, rough field airplane, the extra time to build rag and tube is worth it.
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